Read Tartuffe online, Moliere Jean Baptiste. Jean-Baptiste Moliere - Tartuffe, or the Deceiver Comedy Tartuffe

On the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, Anatoly Efros staged one of his most Vakhtangov-like performances. He turned to Jean-Baptiste Molière’s most popular comedy, Tartuffe, and staged an incredibly funny, but at the same time “smart” play, where Stanislav Lyubshin made his debut on the Moscow Art Theater stage in the title role.

At that time, the actor’s work seemed controversial to many, but one thing is certain - it was precisely with the personality of this artist, the dialogue, or even an argument with him, that the production was designed. It is no coincidence that Efros wrote even before the start of rehearsals: “Tartuffe is impudent and purposeful. He's flexible. He's dangerous! I see an artist who could play all this well - Smoktunovsky. Or maybe Lyubshin? It seems to me that they have these scary colors. We need to play not a hypocrite, but a contender for power. Politician. A man capable of conquering and befuddling.”

When the premiere came out, it seemed to many that it was not Tartuffe that took first place here - Lyubshin’s work seemed so faded at first glance in comparison with the brilliance of colors shown by Alexander Kalyagin (Orgon) and Anastasia Vertinskaya (Elmira). But this was another ethrosophical “changeover”. Just as the inhabitants of Orgon’s house do not immediately notice how a “snake” crawls into their house, in the same way Tartuffe - Lyubshin is not immediately taken into account.

Against the backdrop of a space draped with luxurious golden fabrics, against the background of an incredibly huge chandelier with candles flickering under the caps, which rose at the beginning of each act and fell at its end (set designer - Dmitry Krymov), against the backdrop of colorful and whimsical camisoles and dresses, unobtrusively stylized to the era “Sun King” (costume designer - Valentina Komolova), with his first appearance in a gray velvet suit, Tartuffe Lyubshina evoked associations with a gray mouse. You don’t get used to such a youthful, lean, restrainedly self-confident Tartuffe right away, but gradually, from scene to scene, the actor and hero, following the will of the director, reveal themselves into a terrifying and extremely modern image. A rude, arrogant cynic with a wry smile and a frankly shameless look, he goes ahead. He does not disdain small matters, he is capable of undisguised meanness, but the most terrible thing about him is his frightening ordinariness. Stanislav Lyubshin plays a man who is always nearby, who (under certain circumstances) each of us can turn into.

And he (Tartuffe) is this notorious hypocrite, and therefore the actor is the only non-comedian in this festive Molière theater, where the first actress is the beautiful Elmira. Anastasia Vertinskaya plays a brilliant young woman who takes control of all the threads of intrigue, and to do this she has to show all the artistry of her nature, use all her charm and lull the suspicions of the incredulous Tartuffe. Someone called her “a bold seductress with frightened eyes,” and, indeed, this image works best in a seduction scene. Vertinskaya conducts this scene very accurately and gracefully - every gesture is inimitable and graceful, every glance is enchanting - it’s true, in the words of Moliere, “bashfulness and tenderness are fighting a cruel battle.”

And if in Anastasia Vertinskaya’s play there is high comedy: elegant marivage, adjacent to the brilliance of Beaumarchais’s images, then Alexander Kalyagin in the image of his Orgon gives the viewer an example of the comedy of simplicity. Comedy bordering on genuine drama. After all, Orgon, as Kalyagin presents him, under the guise of the most charming good nature, plays the drama of betrayed trust, to say the least, faith. His Orgon desperately believes in the virtue of the person he sheltered, and clings to this faith to the last, and when he is deprived of faith, he breaks down. The truth turns out to be damning. And now the final scene: Tartuffe is tied hand and foot, he is about to be sent to trial - it would seem that the enemy has been defeated. And here, from the gentle, good-natured person that we have been watching Orgon throughout the performance, frightening features suddenly break through: he goes berserk, restrained by Valerie and Cleanthe, flails his legs in an impotent rage and spits at the one whom he had recently exalted so highly...

And this finale, perhaps, overlaps in its impact even the climactic scene with the exposure of Tartuffe - the famous scene between Tartuffe, Elmira and Orgon. And such a dramatic, cruel note is perfectly suited as the final coda to the mischievous and laid-back comedy played by the Moscow Art Theater actors. Over the course of two hours, the action captivates the viewer with rapid rhythms, sparkling lines like blades and unbridled theatricality. The buffoonish sparkle spills out from the stage into the orchestra, which surrenders to the director’s unbridled fantasy and pays for it with almost incessant laughter. But the performance ends, very little time passes, and the fun begins to recede, giving way to not at all rosy thoughts about human nature. This is the aftertaste that remains after the “bottle of champagne” offered to the viewer by Anatoly Efros and the Moscow Art Theater actors.

Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe" is the most popular play among the works he wrote. It is still in demand in all theaters of the world and is the greatest example of a theatrical production performed with an equal share of comedy and seriousness.

Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Moliere is the greatest playwright of the neoclassical era. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the progenitor of modern comedy in the form in which it is familiar to most viewers and readers.

In addition to the gift of writing, Jean-Baptiste Moliere had outstanding acting talent and often played the main roles in his comedies. As the manager of his own, very popular theater, J.B. Moliere wrote and staged comedies commissioned by Louis XIV, the Sun King.

Despite the incessant stream of criticism, Moliere's theatrical productions and his literary heroes were popular among all segments of the population and not only in France. During the writer's lifetime, Moliere's work enjoyed special love from the public and remains relevant to this day.

Comedies of Molière

In his works, Moliere combined classical literature with realism and actually gave rise to neoclassicism. His plays have nothing in common with Shakespeare's romantic comedies and represent a completely new genre for its time. His everyday sketches and literary heroes are real and are part of life familiar to the author and viewer.

Moliere experimented with the form, structure and staging of his comedies. For example, “A Bourgeois in the Nobility” is written in prose, has a clear structure and some features of the original production, being a comedy-ballet. The comedy “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is written in a poetic form, similar to a song. The play is divided into couplets written in a twelve-syllable meter called Alexandrine verse.

Plot of the play

A guest appears in the happy family of the Parisian aristocrat Orgon - a certain Tartuffe. He has gained the trust of the owner of the house so much that the previously intelligent and insightful Orgon refuses to see in his guest anything other than holiness, piety, modesty and selflessness. Attempts by the household to open Orgon’s eyes to Tartuffe’s true essence are met with a stubborn reluctance to believe anyone other than the “righteous man.”

The deceitful saint causes a break in relations with the friends of the owner of the house, a quarrel between Orgon and his son, and the separation of his daughter from her lover. Tartuffe's true face and vile character are revealed only after the blinded Orgon transfers his entire fortune to the guest. Orgon witnesses the seduction of his own wife by the “pious” Tartuffe. Realizing the depth of his stupidity, Orgon kicks out the liar, in response to which he receives an eviction order from his own house, because according to the documents he is no longer the owner.

The intervention of the wise and fair king a few minutes before the end of the play puts everything in its place: the swindler is arrested, Orgon is restored to ownership of his own property, and Orgon’s daughter Mariana marries her lover Valera.

Criticism of the play

Immediately after the first performance, Moliere was hit with a barrage of criticism from the French Catholic Church. The author was accused of mocking religion and believers. Moralists and church ministers unanimously insisted that satire and ridicule of piety in comedy contribute to the decay of public morality.

The Church, famous for its strict censorship of everything that even indirectly concerns religion, received the comedy “Tartuffe” with hostility. The king's comments, no matter how positive they were, could not influence the reaction of the Archbishop of Paris. The rejection of the play was so strong that, under the influence of the bishop, the king was forced to ban the public showing of performances of the comedy. In a letter, Louis XIV made it clear that he personally liked the play, which is why private performances were allowed.

However, Moliere's goal was not to ridicule religion and piety, but rather the duplicity and stupidity described in the comedy Tartuffe. The author personally assured that the play was written to show the public the importance of moderation and the ability to look rationally at absolutely all aspects of life. Even piety and selflessness should not be accepted blindly.

Structure of the play and the original performance

The comedy “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” reached the modern public only in the third edition, published five years after the first production. The original play consisted of three acts, while the modern version of the comedy has five acts with a varying number of scenes.

The comedy was first staged in 1664 at the Palace of Versailles and immediately after that it was banned from showing. In 1667, Moliere rewrote the play Tartuffe; The play was staged at the Palais Royal, but despite the revised scenes, the production was again banned. After the loss of influence of the Archbishop of Paris, the play began to be staged regularly in French theaters.

The latest edition has undergone major changes; many critics believe that Moliere added some scenes, including the miraculous intervention of the just king. It is believed that this scene was written in gratitude to Louis XIV for the constant support provided to Moliere during the attacks on the comedy Tartuffe. The performance enjoyed enormous popularity from the mid-17th century to the present day.

Summary: “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” according to the acts

Below is the plot of each of the five acts of the play and their summary. “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is a comedy, but all its comedy lies in the small details and dialogues between the characters.

The humor and satire that distinguish Moliere's farces can be traced in the plot and structure of the works. It is not surprising that the comedy of such a farce easily transfers into the summary; “Tartuffe” is a more serious work; the retelling of its plot is more reminiscent of a drama than a comedy.

Act one

A certain Tartuffe settled in the house of the noble Mr. Orgon - a man whose speeches are unusually religious and filled with such righteousness that Orgon and his mother are sure: Tartuffe is the most worthy of people, and they have the honor of receiving him in their home.

The righteous man himself, comfortably settled under a warm roof, with a decent salary, thinks not so much about the will of heaven, but about dinner and the beautiful Elmira, Orgon’s wife.

The rest of the household, including Elmira herself, her brother Cleanthes and Orgon's children Mariana and Damis, see right through the liar and try to show Orgon how blindly and groundlessly he believes in a complete stranger.

Damis asks Cleanthe to find out from his father his plans for the marriage of Mariana and Valera, because if Orgon takes away this blessing, then Damis will not be able to become the groom of Valera’s sister. Cleanthes directly asks the owner of the house what he intends to do with his daughter’s hand, to which Orgon gives only evasive answers. Cleant suspects something is wrong.

Act Two: Forced Engagement

Orgon informs Mariana of his desire to become related to Tartuffe, for which he wants to give the guest her hand. Mariana is discouraged, but her daughter's duty does not allow her to directly refuse her father. The maid Dorina comes to the girl’s aid and describes to Orgon the absurdity of the decision, but the stubborn man does not want to hear anything and insists on getting married soon.

Dorina persuades Mariana to firmly insist on her reluctance to marry Tartuffe, but the girl cannot imagine how she can disobey her father. The girl’s indecisiveness causes a quarrel with her lover, but Dorina stops the angry Valera in time. She suggests that young people postpone their engagement to Tartuffe for the time being.

Act Three: The Influence of Tartuffe

Damis learns about his father's decision and intends to forcefully bring Tartuffe into the open. None of Dorina’s arguments cool the ardor of the angry young man. Dorina reveals to Damis her plan to expose the deceiver: the astute maid had long suspected that Tartuffe was eyeing Elmira, and arranged for them to have a private conversation in the hope of exposing the saint. Damis hides in the closet, wanting to witness the conversation.

Left alone with Elmira, Tartuffe immediately confesses his fiery passion to her and offers to share her bed with him. Elmira reminds him of the sinfulness of such thoughts and, even more so, actions. Tartuffe is not embarrassed by such wickedness. Elmira threatens to tell everything to Orgon if Tartuffe does not give up marrying Mariana. At this time, an indignant Damis jumps out of hiding and threatens to tell his father about everything.

Orgon, having learned about what happened, takes Tartuffe’s side, kicks his son out of the house and, in order to teach his household a lesson, makes Tartuffe his heir. The owner of the house and the guest leave to draw up the necessary deeds of gift and agree on the imminent wedding of Mariana and Tartuffe.

Act Four: Exposing the Liar

Orgon returns with a marriage contract for his daughter. Mariana begs her father not to force her to sign her own verdict, because she does not have tender feelings for Tartuffe, on the contrary, she considers him disgusting. Orgon argues that marrying an unpleasant person is a noble act, since disgust mortifies the flesh. Elmira is amazed by her husband's uncompromising blindness and wonders: will Orgon believe in Tartuffe's wickedness if he sees the proof with his own eyes? Orgon is so confident in the righteousness of the guest that he is ready to witness the conversation between Elmira and Tartuffe.

Elmira asks her husband to hide under the table and calls Tartuffe. At first, the guest is wary of the hostess’s sudden change in mood, but Elmira convinces him that women are characterized by indecisiveness in matters of the heart. Tartuffe demands a “tangible pledge” of feelings and convinces Elmira that a secret relationship is not a sin and Orgon is so stupid that he will not believe in Tartuffe’s betrayal, even if he sees the betrayal with his own eyes.

The indignant Orgon demands that Tartuffe immediately get out of his house, to which the scoundrel replies: the house now belongs to him, and Orgon must get out. In addition, the safe with secret papers, which Orgon kept at the request of a friend, is in the hands of Tartuffe, now in his hands not only Orgon’s fortune, but also his life.

Act Five: Justice Triumphed

The whole family is greatly saddened by this turn of events and everyone is thinking about a plan of action when a notary enters the house demanding that the house be vacated by morning. Damis, who has returned, threatens to kill the scoundrel, but Cleont convinces the young man that violence cannot solve the problem.

Valère enters the house with terrible news: Tartuffe took the documents to the king, accusing Orgon, the king’s faithful servant, of treason. Valere offers to take the whole family away and help them hide from the king's wrath. At this very moment, Tartuffe returns, accompanied by the bailiffs, and reports that Orgon’s path from now on leads only to prison, because he came to arrest the traitor in the name of the king, whom he is obliged to serve faithfully.

Orgon and his household are discouraged by the further turn of events: the bailiffs take Tartuffe himself under arrest. The officers explain to the surprised family that the smart and insightful king had long heard about the harmful influence of Tartuffe on his faithful servant and ordered an investigation, which showed that the swindler had been deceiving for a long time and his name was not Tartuffe at all. The king, by his will, annulled the deeds of gift and forgave Orgon for hiding the documents in memory of his faithful service.

"Tartuffe": analysis of the play

This work is one of the author’s “adult” creations. Molière's comedy Tartuffe is a striking example of a gradual departure from the form of French farce in which he wrote before. The play touches on themes of confrontation between truth and lies. The author shows how harmful the influence of people for whom deception is a profession can be.

As the summary suggested above proves, Tartuffe is a deceiver, and not the best one. No matter how much a swindler pretends, his true face will sooner or later be revealed. Anger, envy and the desire to get rich control Tartuffe, and he is ready to deprive his former benefactor not only of wealth, but also of freedom, and perhaps even life.

Social criticism and satire in this comedy have a more individual focus, because Tartuffe is not a representative of a certain class and his influence is limited only by individual abilities to manipulate. This is why this type of people like Tartuffe is terrible: they are capable of perverting even such sublime feelings as piety and faith.

By Moliere Jean Baptiste

ACT ONE

Phenomenon I

Phenomenon II

Scene III

Phenomenon IV

Phenomenon V

Scene VI

ACT TWO

Phenomenon I

Phenomenon II

Scene III

Phenomenon IV

ACT THREE

Phenomenon I

Phenomenon II

Scene III

Phenomenon IV

PHENOMENA V

Scene VI

Scene VII

ACT FOUR

Phenomenon I

Phenomenon II

Scene III

Phenomenon IV

Phenomenon V

Scene VI

Scene VII

Scene VIII

ACT FIVE

Phenomenon I

Phenomenon II

Scene III

Phenomenon IV

Phenomenon V

Scene VI

Scene VII

Scene VIII

Tartuffe

Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Tartuffe, or the Deceiver

Comedy in five acts

Characters

Madame Pernelle, Orgon's mother.

Orgon, Elmira's husband.

Elmira, Orgon's wife.

Damis, son of Orgon.

Mariana, daughter of Orgon, in love with Valera.

Valere, a young man in love with Mariana.

Cleanthes, Orgon's brother-in-law.

Tartuffe, saint.

Dorina, Mariana's maid.

Mr. Loyal, Bailiff.

Flipot, Madame Pernelle's servant.

The action takes place in Paris, in Orgon's house.

ACT ONE

Phenomenon I

Mrs. Pernel, Elmira, Mariana, Dorina, Cleant, Flipot.

Ms. Pernel

Let's go, Flipot, let's go. I consider it a good thing to leave.

Elmira

I can't even keep up with your fast pace.

Ms. Pernel

Please, daughter-in-law, please: you stay here.

All these wires are just wasted work.

Elmira

What we do is our direct position

But why are you in such a hurry, mother?

Ms. Pernel

But because I can’t stand this house

And I don’t see any attention here in anyone.

I am leaving you deeply offended:

Everything I say is met with disdain,

Not a penny of respect, screaming, noise, the same hell,

It’s like beggars making noise on the porch.

Dorina

Ms. Pernel

My dear, there is no maid in the world

Louder than you and a worse rude person.

Believe me, even without you I know what and how.

Damis

Ms. Pernel

My dear grandson, you are simply a fool.

No one is telling you this like your grandmother;

And I have already been my son a hundred times, and your father,

Warned that you are the last tomboy

With which he will be completely exhausted.

Mariana

But…

Ms. Pernel

Everyone knows that you, his sister, -

The quietest of the quiet, the most modest girl,

But there’s nothing worse than sleepy water,

And you, I suppose, secretly are a little devil.

Elmira

But is it...

Ms. Pernel

My speech may offend you,

But you behave shamefully in everything.

You should set an example for them,

Just like their deceased mother did.

You are wasteful: you cannot look without anger,

When you dress up like a queen.

To please your spouse,

There is no need for such lavish attire.

Cleant

But still, madam...

Ms. Pernel

I’m not hiding you, sir,

I appreciate, love and respect in every possible way.

And yet, if I were my son, I would with great difficulty

She let such a brother-in-law into her house:

You deign to start preaching,

Which should be greatly guarded.

I say it straight; I am, sir, like that

And I don’t hide true words in my heart.

Damis

Your Mr. Tartuffe has settled into an enviable position...

Ms. Pernel

He is a pure soul, it’s a shame not to listen to him;

And I won’t spare someone else’s head,

When he is denigrated by a fool like you.

Damis

How? I have to put up with the fact that the prude is unhappy

Reigned in our house like an autocratic despot,

And so that we couldn’t have fun with anything,

Until his mouth spoke its judgment?

Dorina

When you listen to his moral teaching,

Whatever you do, everything will be a crime;

In his zeal he judges everything and everyone.

Ms. Pernel

He judges correctly and condemns sin.

He wants to direct everyone to the path of salvation,

And my son must instruct you in love for him.

Damis

No, grandma, no one, if he were my father,

I cannot be reconciled with such a fellow.

I would be playing hide and seek with you:

I can't see his habits without getting angry

And I know in advance that this bigot

One fine day I will put him in place.

Dorina

And anyone else would probably be indignant,

Seeing how the stranger reigned in the family,

Like a beggar who came here thin and barefoot

And he brought with him a dress worth six pennies,

I forgot myself to the point that with great audacity

He contradicts everyone and thinks of himself as a ruler.

Ms. Pernel

And everything would go better, I swear on my soul,

If only they would listen to his holy speeches.

Dorina

Even though you stubbornly consider him a saint,

But, believe me, all this in him is feigned.

Ms. Pernel

What an ulcer!

Dorina

For him and for his servant

I can’t guarantee anything to anyone.

Ms. Pernel

What kind of servant he is, I don’t know.

But I can honestly vouch for the owner.

You are unhappy with him, that's why he makes you angry,

That he openly speaks the truth to your eyes.

He scourges everything sinful publicly

And he only wants what heaven wants.

Dorina

Yes, but why has he been for some time now

Does he want no one to set foot in our yard?

Is it really such a sin when guests come,

Why do you need to go Satan out of rage and anger?

You know what I was already thinking:

(pointing to Elmira)

It seems to me that he is jealous of his mistress.

Ms. Pernel

Keep quiet! Is such reasoning conceivable!

He is not the only one who is angry about these visits.

All these people scurrying towards you with a roar,

And the eternal line of carriages sticking out at the gates,

And a noisy gathering of crowding servants

An unfortunate rumor is spread throughout the area.

There may not be much harm here,

But people say - and that’s the problem.

Cleant

So you would like everyone around to be silent?

Our life would be filled with sadness

When would we start hiding from our friends?

Out of fear of what the mouthy guy will say.

And even if I dared to do so,

How can you prevent people from whispering somewhere?

You cannot protect yourself from evil tongues.

So it’s better to ignore gossip altogether.

It behooves us to live and think nobly,

And let the talkers interpret it as they please.

Dorina

Hardly anyone else like Daphne and her hubby,

Dear neighbors, they defame us secretly.

All those who are famous for shameful deeds,

They themselves vilify others with particular ease;

They will look out for you as soon as possible

The slightest tenderness, a barely visible light

And immediately the news of this spread unanimously,

Giving it the turn they needed.

With the deeds of your neighbor, having tinted them to match,

They strive to justify their deeds

And under the protection of dubious similarities

Clothe your sins with the guise of nobility,

Having thrown two or three arrows to others

Public blasphemy is directed at them.

Ms. Pernel

You are speaking rather inappropriately.

Everyone knows how virtuous Oranta is:

Holy woman; and they say she

I am quite outraged by what is happening here.

Dorina

A most wonderful example, and a good person!

I believe that she will not sin until the grave.

All this zeal was instilled in her by the summer,

And whether she wants it or not, she is now a saint.

While she had the power to captivate hearts,

She did not conceal any charming charms;

But, seeing that there is no former sparkle in the eyes,

Decides to forget the light that changed her

And a thick blanket of lush holiness

Throw on the beauty that has faded.

This is always the case with old dandies.

It’s not easy for them to see that everyone has left them.

Orphaned, full of dull anxiety,

Out of melancholy, they rush to get their hair cut,

And the incorruptible court of pious women

Ready to punish anything, armed for anything;

They scourge the sinful world without mercy - -

Not to save him, but simply out of frustration,

What others supposedly eat from the delights,

Which old age cannot get back.

Ms. Pernel

(Elmira)

Here are the nonsense that is dear to you,

Daughter-in-law. Yes, here you don’t even have the strength to open your mouth;

She'll drown you all in chatter.

But still, it’s time for me to say something:

I'll tell you that my son was truly lucky,

When they found such a pious man;

That this man was sent to you by heaven,

To show the path to lost minds;

That you must listen to him unquestioningly

And he only calls that sin, that which is sinful.

All these dinners, conversations, evenings - -

All this is Satan's crafty game.

There you will not hear soulful speech:

Everything is jokes, songs and fussy meetings;

And if their neighbor gets in the teeth,

This is how they will finish it both lengthwise and crosswise.

And who is more sedate and more mature in mind,

He will simply burn out in such an assembly.

There is a whole cart of gossip, ready in a single moment,

And, as one learned theologian said,

Pandemonium happens, as in those days,

And everyone spreads Babylons with his tongue;

And then he remembered at the same time...

(Pointing to Cleanthes.)

I see, sir, it seems funny to you?

I don't want to be written down as a firecracker

And that's why…

(Elmira)

Daughter-in-law, goodbye. I stop talking.

From now on I'll put the house here at half price,

And you shouldn’t be expecting me to come home soon.

(Giving Flipot a slap in the face.)

What are you doing? Somlela, or what? Look, I'm glad to kick back!

God's thunder! I'll warm your ears again.

Well, dirty, well!

Phenomenon II

Cleant, Dorina

Cleant

I won't go with them

How long will it take to get into trouble again?

With such an old woman...

Dorina

Oh, I'm ready to regret

that now she doesn’t hear the words;

They would show you what he deserves,

Who calls women like her old women?

Cleant

How she became furious over trifles!

And how she sang sweetly about her Tartuffe!

Dorina

And yet the mother is smarter than the son.

You should see what our master has become!

In the days of unrest, he behaved like a man of the council,

And he served the king bravely in the old years;

But he just seemed completely stupefied

Ever since Tartuffe got into his head;

He is like a brother to him, dearer than anyone in the world,

A hundred times more kind than mother, wife and children.

He made him his confidant,

In all his affairs he guides him;

He cherishes him, kisses him and hardly

The beauties were adored with such tenderness;

He seats him at the table ahead of others

And he is joyful when he eats for six;

Of course, all the best pieces go to him too;

And if he burps, ours: “God help you!”

In a word, he is raving about them. Tartuffe-hero, idol,

The world should marvel at his merits;

His smallest deeds are wonderful,

And whatever he says is a heavenly verdict.

And he, seeing such a simpleton,

He is fooled endlessly by his game;

He made bigotry a source of profit

And he is preparing to teach us while we are alive.

And even well done, that he has a servant,

Every day every day teaches us a good lesson;

It flies in like a thunderstorm and rushes to the floor zealously

All our lace, and flies, and blush.

The other day this rogue found and tore

The handkerchief that we had in the lives of the saints,

And he declared that we are committing an immeasurable sin,

Staining the shrine with such demonic filth.

Scene III

Elmira, Mariana, Damis, Cleant, Dorina.

Elmira

(Cleanthe)

You are wise that you decided to take care of yourself

And they didn’t come to listen to the parting speech.

Now my husband has arrived; my brother, I will leave you

And I’ll go to our half to wait for him.

Cleant

And just to be quick, I’ll see him here

And I’ll talk for at least a few minutes.

Phenomenon IV

Cleant, Damis, Dorina.

Damis

Talk to him about Mariana's wedding.

I'm afraid Tartuffe is setting traps here too,

Advising the father to take it day by day;

And this may also affect me.

How young Valer is captivated by my sister,

So his sister is dearer to me than everyone else, I won’t hide it.

Dorina

Phenomenon V

Orgon, Cleante, Dorina.

Orgone

Oh, brother-in-law, good morning!

Cleant

I was thinking about leaving and I'm glad I met you.

Are you seriously bored in the village?

Orgone

(Cleanthe)

Dear friend, stay for a minute

And so that my worries are relieved,

Let me find out about things here.

Well, what happened here in two days? How are you? What do you? Who

what were you doing? And are we all healthy?

Dorina

Yes, the lady had the whole day the day before yesterday

I had a very high fever and a terrible migraine.

Orgone

Well, what about Tartuffe?

Dorina

Tartuffe? And it’s unnecessary to ask:

Portly, fresh-faced and lips like cherries.

Orgone

Oh, poor thing!

Dorina

In the evening she felt melancholy;

She didn’t eat a single bite at dinner - -

My head still hurt so bad.

Orgone

Well, what about Tartuffe?

Dorina

I sat and ate alone

In her presence. Looking down meekly,

He ate two partridges and ate a lamb's butt.

Orgone

Oh, poor thing!

Dorina

The lady did not fall asleep at all;

At the invitation of the owner, a certain Mr. Tartuffe settled in the house of the venerable Orgon. Orgon doted on him, considering him an incomparable example of righteousness and wisdom: Tartuffe’s speeches were extremely sublime, his teachings - thanks to which Orgon learned that the world is a big cesspool, and now he would not blink an eye, burying his wife, children and other loved ones - extremely useful, piety aroused admiration; and how selflessly Tartuffe cherished the morality of Orgon’s family...

Of all the household members, Orgon’s admiration for the newly-minted righteous man was shared, however, only by his mother, Madame Pernel. Elmira, Orgon's wife, her brother Cleanthes, Orgon's children Damis and Mariana, and even the servants saw in Tartuffe who he really was - a hypocritical saint, cleverly taking advantage of Orgon's delusion in his simple earthly interests: eating tasty and sleeping softly, having a reliable roof over your head and some other benefits.

Orgon's family was completely disgusted with Tartuffe's moral teachings; with his worries about decency, he drove almost all his friends away from home. But as soon as someone spoke badly about this zealot of piety, Madame Pernelle created stormy scenes, and Orgon simply remained deaf to any speeches that were not imbued with admiration for Tartuffe. When Orgon returned from a short absence and demanded from the maid Dorina a report on the news at home, the news of his wife’s illness left him completely indifferent, while the story of how Tartuffe happened to overeat at dinner, then sleep until noon, and drink too much wine at breakfast, filled Orgon with compassion for the poor man.

Orgon's daughter, Mariana, was in love with a noble young man named Valer, and her brother Damis was in love with Valer's sister. Orgon seemed to have already given his consent to the marriage of Mariana and Valera, but for some reason he kept postponing the wedding. Damis, concerned about his own fate - his marriage to Valera's sister was supposed to follow Mariana's wedding - asked Cleanthe to find out from Orgon the reason for the delay. Orgon answered questions so evasively and incomprehensibly that Cleanthes suspected that he had decided to somehow dispose of his daughter’s future.

Exactly how Orgon sees Mariana’s future became clear when he told his daughter that Tartuffe’s perfections needed reward, and that reward would be his marriage to her, Mariana. The girl was stunned, but did not dare contradict her father. Dorina had to stand up for her: the maid tried to explain to Orgon that marrying Mariana to Tartuffe - a beggar, a low-spirited freak - would mean becoming the subject of ridicule of the whole city, and in addition, would push her daughter onto the path of sin, for no matter how virtuous the girl was, she would not It's simply impossible to cuckold a hubby like Tartuffe. Dorina spoke very passionately and convincingly, but despite this, Orgon remained adamant in his determination to become related to Tartuffe.

Mariana was ready to submit to her father's will - this is what her daughter's duty told her to do. Dorina tried to overcome her obedience, dictated by natural timidity and respect for her father, and she almost succeeded in doing so, unfolding before Mariana vivid pictures of the marital happiness prepared for him and Tartuffe.

But when Valer asked Mariana if she was going to submit to Orgon’s will, the girl replied that she didn’t know. In a fit of despair, Valer advised her to do as her father commanded, while he himself would find himself a bride who would not betray her word; Mariana replied that she would be only too happy about this, and as a result, the lovers almost parted forever, but Dorina arrived in time. She convinced young people of the need to fight for their happiness. But they just need to act not directly, but in a roundabout way, to stall for time, and then something will certainly work out, because everyone - Elmira, Cleanthes, and Damis - is against Orgon’s absurd plan,

Damis, even too determined, was going to properly rein in Tartuffe so that he would forget about marrying Mariana. Dorina tried to cool his ardor, to convince him that more could be achieved with cunning than with threats, but she was not able to completely convince him of this.

Suspecting that Tartuffe was not indifferent to Orgon's wife, Dorina asked Elmira to talk to him and find out what he himself thought about marriage with Mariana. When Dorina told Tartuffe that the lady wanted to talk with him face to face, the saintly man perked up. At first, scattering heavy compliments in front of Elmira, he did not let her open her mouth, but when she finally asked a question about Mariana, Tartuffe began to assure her that his heart was captivated by another. To Elmira’s bewilderment - how is it that a man of holy life is suddenly seized by carnal passion? - her admirer answered with fervor that yes, he is pious, but at the same time he is also a man, saying that the heart is not flint... Immediately, without mincing words, Tartuffe invited Elmira to indulge in the delights of love. In response, Elmira asked how, in Tartuffe’s opinion, her husband would behave when he heard about his vile harassment. The frightened gentleman begged Elmira not to ruin him, and then she offered a deal: Orgon would not find out anything, but Tartuffe, for his part, would try to get Mariana to marry Valere as soon as possible.

Damis ruined everything. He overheard the conversation and, indignant, rushed to his father. But, as one might expect, Orgon believed not his son, but Tartuffe, who this time outdid himself in hypocritical self-abasement. In anger, he ordered Damis to get out of sight and announced that today Tartuffe would marry Mariana. As a dowry, Orgon gave his entire fortune to his future son-in-law.

Cleante tried for the last time to talk humanly with Tartuffe and convince him to reconcile with Damis, give up his unjustly acquired property and Mariana - after all, it is not appropriate for a Christian to use a quarrel between father and son for his own enrichment, much less condemn a girl to lifelong torment. But Tartuffe, a noble rhetorician, had an excuse for everything.

Mariana begged her father not to give her to Tartuffe - let him take the dowry, and she would rather go to a monastery. But Orgon, who had learned something from his favorite, without blinking an eye, convinced the poor thing of the soul-saving life with a husband who only causes disgust - after all, mortification of the flesh is only useful. Finally, Elmira could not stand it - since her husband does not believe the words of his loved ones, he should see with his own eyes the baseness of Tartuffe. Convinced that he had to make sure of just the opposite - of the high morality of the righteous man - Orgon agreed to crawl under the table and from there eavesdrop on the conversation that Elmira and Tartuffe would have in private.

Tartuffe immediately fell for Elmira’s feigned speeches that she supposedly had a strong feeling for him, but at the same time showed a certain prudence: before refusing to marry Mariana, he wanted to receive from her stepmother, so to speak, a tangible guarantee of tender feelings. As for the violation of the commandment, which will be associated with the delivery of this pledge, then, as Tartuffe assured Elmira, he has his own ways of dealing with heaven.

What Orgon heard from under the table was enough for his blind faith in the holiness of Tartuffe to finally collapse. He ordered the scoundrel to get away immediately, he tried to make excuses, but now it was useless. Then Tartuffe changed his tone and, before proudly leaving, promised to brutally get even with Orgon.

Tartuffe’s threat was not unfounded: firstly, Orgon had already managed to issue a deed of gift for his house, which from today belonged to Tartuffe; secondly, he entrusted the vile villain with a casket with papers incriminating his brother, who was forced to leave the country for political reasons.

It was necessary to urgently look for some way out. Damis volunteered to beat Tartuffe and discourage him from harming him, but Cleanthe stopped the young man - he argued that more could be achieved with the mind than with fists. Orgon's family had not yet come up with anything when the bailiff, Mr. Loyal, showed up on the doorstep of the house. He brought an order to vacate M. Tartuffe's house by tomorrow morning. At this point, not only Damis’s hands began to itch, but also Dorina’s and even Orgon himself.

As it turned out, Tartuffe did not fail to use the second opportunity he had to ruin the life of his recent benefactor: Valère brought the news that the scoundrel had handed over a chest of papers to the king, and now Orgon faces arrest for aiding his rebel brother. Orgon decided to escape before it was too late, but the guards got ahead of him: the officer who entered announced that he was under arrest.

Tartuffe also came to Orgon's house with the royal officer. The family, including Madame Pernel, who had finally seen the light, began to unanimously shame the hypocritical villain, listing all his sins. Tom soon got tired of this, and he turned to the officer with a request to protect his person from vile attacks, but in response, to his great - and everyone's - amazement, he heard that he was arrested.

As the officer explained, in fact he did not come for Orgon, but in order to see how Tartuffe reaches the end in his shamelessness. The wise king, an enemy of lies and a stronghold of justice, from the very beginning had suspicions about the identity of the informer and turned out to be right, as always - under the name of Tartuffe was hiding a scoundrel and a swindler, who had a great many dark deeds to his name. With his authority, the sovereign canceled the deed of gift for the house and forgave Orgon for indirectly aiding his rebellious brother.

Tartuffe was escorted to prison in disgrace, but Orgon had no choice but to praise the wisdom and generosity of the monarch, and then bless the union of Valera and Mariana.

Retold

Jean-Baptiste Moliere was both an actor and a theater director. But he is best known to us as a comedian. Repertoire hunger forced Monsieur Poquelin (family name) to take up his pen. The forty-two-year-old writer, having already become famous and recognized by the royal court, risked presenting a caustic social pamphlet for the theatrical performance, parodying the hypocrisy of the sophisms of the French clergy.

Molière's plot intrigue

An attempt to play the work in the theater was successful only five years later. This article is a summary of it. "Tartuffe" has a rather prosaic plot: the resolution of the circumstances preventing the wedding of Marianne, the daughter of the owner of the house (Orgon), and her beloved Valera. (Marianna's brother Damis, in turn, is in love with his sister Valera). The whole intrigue is “twisted” around the main character - Tartuffe, who is visiting the house. Outwardly, he is a young, educated, pious man, prone to high deeds. In fact, having a criminal past, Tartuffe has a whole bunch of “advantages”: chronic deceit, a rare ability to weave a continuous chain of fraud. But the highlight of the image of a fraudster is professional mimicry - imitation of the sermons of a clergyman. Moliere brilliantly presented this “explosive cocktail” to the audience. A complete picture of the comedy can only be given by its theatrical production, because a brief summary devoid of emotions is a bad mirror for the irony of the great Frenchman. Molière's "Tartuffe" has been leading the hits of theater seasons for more than 350 years.

The rogue manages to deceive Orgon to such an extent that he decides to cancel the wedding with Valera and marry his daughter to Tartuffe. But the fraudster’s goal is to take over the entire house and fortune. He also has influence on Madame Pernel, the mother of the owner of the house.

Moliere shows the deceiver without deliberately resorting to the intricate lace of lies. He is so confident in the unfailing influence of his sanctimonious pseudo-morality on simpletons that he often acts simply “clumsily.”

Comedy characters

The summary of “Tartuffe” tells not only about scoundrels and the fooled. Oregon's wife, Elmira Dorina, is a fairly sober lady, distinguished by her calm disposition and self-control. At the same time, she is flirtatious and social. Tartuffe openly trails after her, when the opportunity arises, inviting the pretty hostess of the house to make love to him. She refuses, threatening that she will betray the hypocrite, and then tries to outplay the scammer by offering him her silence in exchange for his refusal to marry Marianne.

The mother’s plan is unintentionally destroyed by the young and hot-tempered son Damis, who overheard and passed on its contents to his father, Oregon. Naive! It costs Tartuffe nothing to convince the owner of the house, a simpleton, of the sublimity of his feelings and actions. He, fooled, angrily expels his son, promising all the property due to him to the swindler.

Secondary images also add their accents to the summary of Tartuffe. An acute antipathy towards the swindler distinguishes the maid Dorina. Moliere attributes some of his most poignant statements to her. Cleante, Elmira’s brother, according to Moliere’s plan, represents with his decency a contrast to the swindler Tartuffe. He first tries to reason with Tartuffe to abandon his marriage to Marianne, then convinces Damis not to beat the swindler, since it is preferable to follow reason.

However, despite all the antipathy and opposition that accompanies it, Tartuffe’s plan moves “like clockwork.” It's heading towards the wedding. Even if something goes wrong, the fooled Oregon has transferred all his property to him. In addition, he has incriminating evidence in his hands - a secret chest with letters that are sensitive to him, given to him of his own free will by the narrow-minded owner of the house. In addition, he bribed the bailiff Loyal (Moliere’s irony is clear here: “loyal” is translated from French as “justice”).

Climax

Elmira feignedly confesses her love to him, but the scoundrel, as a pledge of refusing to marry his daughter, wants intimacy with his stepmother. This finally opens Oregon's eyes and he kicks the cheater out of the house.

But according to documents, the house is already owned by Tartuffe. A Loyal bailiff comes to Mr. Oregon with an order containing a requirement to vacate the property by tomorrow. However, it seemed to the scoundrel that it was not enough to ruin, wanting to completely destroy the owner of the house, he sends the king a secret casket with letters testifying to helping his rebel brother. The monarch acts wisely by first determining the identity of the person who filed the denunciation. The astonished Tartuffe, who gloatingly came along with the royal officer to enjoy the arrest of Oregon, is arrested himself.

Conclusion

This is how Moliere’s comedy “Tartuffe,” called by our classic Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, ends with a traditional happy ending, and also with an exaltation of the king’s wisdom. Like Shakespeare, the strength of the writer's talent was combined in this man with devotion and service to the Theater. Contemporaries believed that Moliere's talent blossomed because he had the Gift of seeing “something extraordinary” in every person.